Paris Saint-Germain held an inter-squad friendly match on Saturday to warm up for next weekend's Champions League final showdown with Arsenal. The match, described by Le Parisien as a 'full-scale rehearsal' for the meeting with the Gunners, took place at the club's training base in Poissy with 1,000 fans in attendance.
High-Intensity Training Session
Head coach Luis Enrique organized the special training match, splitting the squad into two starting XIs for a high-intensity session lasting just over an hour. Enrique opted to separate what would generally be considered his first-choice team, with Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, and Desire Doue facing off against Marquinhos, Vitinha, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Injuries and Absences
Two notable absentees were Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi, who trained individually instead. While their absences were not a cause for major concern, Enrique and his staff decided to take no risks. Dembele came off inside half an hour in PSG's final league match of the season against Paris FC with a muscle issue in his right calf. Speaking at a media day this week ahead of the Champions League final, he insisted it was just a 'slight scare' and has 'no doubts' he will be fit to face Arsenal.
'I'm doing very well. I had a slight scare against Paris FC, but I'm fine and I'll be ready for the final,' he told RMC Sport. 'Will I be 100% for the final? Yes, yes, I think so, yes, I'll be ready. I have no doubt about it, I hope to be on the pitch on May 30th.'
Hakimi has not played since suffering a muscle injury in the semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich, but it is hoped he will also be available. Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho missed the game against Paris FC but both were present in the training match.
Arsenal's Preparation
Arsenal, meanwhile, have one more game of their Premier League campaign remaining against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Manager Mikel Arteta could use it as a chance to rest some players, as could Oliver Glasner with Palace preparing for their own European final against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
